Page 21 of Dead Fall (The Quantico Files 2)

“Thank you.”

“And this young lady is Kaely Quinn. A legend. In fact, if you want to know the truth, I fashioned my protagonist Anastasia Bouderoux after you.”

He held out his hand, and Kaely took it. “I guessed that,” she said. “Especially since Annie’s father was a serial killer.”

“I hope I did you justice.”

“I only wish I was as smart as Annie,” Kaely said with a smile.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Harper took a sip of coffee. When he put his cup down, he said, “I’m here to talk to the chief about Saturday night. He’s hoping I saw something that might help find the person who killed John. I’ve been briefed about the way he died.” He shook his head. “He also told me about Evan Bayne. It’s hard to believe they’re both gone.”

“Yes, it is,” Logan said. “And as far as Saturday night, it’s possible you didn’t see the UNSUB. He might not have even been on the property.”

“I heard about the drone,” Harper said. “The longest range consumer drone operates under a mile away. They’re not allowed to go higher than five hundred feet due to FAA guidelines. And most fly only about ten minutes. I think your UNSUB was pretty close. He couldn’t risk pushing the drone past its limits. Besides, there’s no way he could have gotten the results he needed if he was too far away.”

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“Since he had no more than ten minutes to interact with John, he must have been watching John’s window to see when his lights went out. Then he sent the drone up and made his phone call.” He smiled. “Had to research drones for a novel. I know more about them than anyone should.”

Logan frowned. “But how did he know the drapes would be open?”

“It was no secret that John hated the dark and was slightly claustrophobic. He always opened the drapes at night. He actually mentioned that in Dark Minds. A result from years of seeing what men do in the darkness. Whoever was out there with that drone knew that.” He sighed before picking up his cup.

“I remember that,” Alex said. “I should have thought of it.”

“So you’re telling us the UNSUB was right outside Mr. Davis’s hotel room,” Kaely said. “That means someone may have seen him.”

“John’s room was on the side of the building that faced a copse of trees. I think that’s where the killer hid. But you’re right. Someone probably saw him. They just don’t know they saw something important.”

“The chief didn’t mention any outdoor security cameras,” Logan said.

Harper shrugged. “I don’t know anything about that. But I do know the police need to find this guy pronto. I have a bad feeling this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

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